Buil. Inst. r. Sci. nat. Belg. Bull. K. Belg. Inst. Nat. Wet. Bruxelles Brussel 31-XII-1983 55 ENTOMOLOGIE 9 A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF APOLONIINAE (ACARI : TROMBICULIDAE) FROM SOUTH AFRICA WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES IN THE SUBFAMILY (1) BY M. Lee GOFF (2) (With 1 textfigure) ABSTRACT Afropolonia tgifi, n. gen. & n. sp., is described from specimens taken from a rat, Aetbomys namaquensis, collected in South Africa. Examinaton of chiggers collected in South Africa by members of the Namaqualand Namibia Expediton of the King Leopold III Foundation for the Exploration and Protection of Nature has revealed a new monotypic genus of the subfamily Apoloniinae. The holotype is in the collection of the Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels, and the paratype in the collection of the U. S. National Museum of Natural History (chigger collection currently housed at B. P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii). Ail measurements are given in micromètres. Terminology follows GOFF et al. (1982). (1) This paper is based on studies supported by NIH grant 5 ROI AI 13893 to Bishop Museum and grant R-87-111 from the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research (ZWO). Results of the Namaqualand - Namibia Expédition of the King Leopold III Foundation for the Exploration and Protection of Nature (1980). (2) Department of Entomology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 3050 Maile Way, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, U. S. A.
2 M. LEE GOFF Type Afropolonia GOFF, new genus species. Afropolonia tgifi GOFF, new species. Diagnosis. Apoloniinae with palpal tarsus 5BS; galeala B; cheliceral blade lacking denticles; palpai claw 3-pronged; spiracles and tracheae absent; scutum with anteromedian nasus; PL setae extrascutal; paired AM setae; genuala I, microgenuala I absent; tibiala III present; subterminala and parasubterminala I absent. Afropolonia tgifi GOFF, new species (Hg. 1) Description of species. Larvae. Idiosoma. Measuring 455 X 230 in holotype. Eyes 2/2, anterior larger (11 diam.) than posterior (6 diam.), ocular plate absent. 1 pair of humerai setae, measuring 32; 76 dorsal idiosomal setae, measuring 20-24, arranged beginning 12-12 Fig. 1. Larva of Afropolonia tgifi GOFF, n. gen. &c n. sp. A, scutum and eyes: B, dorsal aspect of gnathosoma; C, ventral aspect of palpai tibia and tarsus; D, leg I distal 3 segments showing specialized setae (measurements given in nm) and bases of branched setae; E, leg II as above; F, leg III as above.
55, 9 A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF APOLONIINAE 3 + 52; 2 pairs of sternal setae, anterior 21-22, posterior 21; 50 preanal setae, 16-23; 20 postanal setae, 19-23; total idiosomal setae 152. Gnathosoma. Palpal setal formula B/B/BBB/5BS; palpal claw 3-pronged; galeala B; cheliceral blade (16-17) strongly recurved, lacking denticles; gnathobase lightly punctate, bearing a pair or branched setae. Scutum. Lightly punctate with biconcave anterior margin; posterior margin rounded; anteromedian nasus present, measuring 16 X 7; AM setae paired, AM bases slightly posterior to level of AL bases; PL setae extrascutal; PL > AL > AM; sensillae flagelliform with basai barbs and distal branches. Scutal measurements of holotype followed by those of paratype in parentheses : AW 31 (38); AA 4 (4); SB 15 (15); ASB 24 (25); PSB 17 (17); AM 13 (12); AL 24 (21); PL 29 (24); sens. 51 (50). Legs. Ail 7-segmented, terminating in a pair of claws and a clawlike empodium. Onychotriches absent. IP 595-617. Leg. I. 207-224; coxa with 1 branched seta (1B); trochanter 1B; basisfemur 1B; telofemur 5B; genu 4B, genuala (<r); tibia 8B, 2 tibialae (4>), microtibiala (k); tarsus (56 X 18) 20B, tarsala (w) (17-18), microtarsala (e), pretarsala (y). Leg II. 185-186; coxa 1B; tro chanter 1B; basifemur 2B, telofemur 4B; genu 3B; tibia 6B, 2 tibialae (4>); tarsus (44 X 18) 16B, tarsala ( ) (16), microtarsala (e), pretarsala (y). Leg III. 203-207; coxa 1B; trochanter 1B, basifemur 2B; telofemur 3B; genu 3B, tibia 6B, tibiala (4>); tarsus (52 X 14) 14B. Type data. Holotype and 1 paratype from South Africa : Sturder Pass, ex Aethomys namaquensis (53 851), taken 4.X.1980 by X. MISONNE. R e m a r k s. VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN & KOLEBINOVA (1968) revised the Apoloniinae and proposed 2 tribes for the 7 species and 6 genera then recognized : Apoloniini and Sauracarellini. Subséquent to this treatment, VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN (1970 & 1971) described 2 additional species from Africa and Iran, and GOFF & LOOMIS (1982) described a species from the North Solomon Islands. Afropolonia is in the tribe Apoloniini as defined by VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN &c KOLE BINOVA, based on the unexpanded sensillae, along with Apolonia TORRES & BRAGA, 1938, Straelensia VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN & KOLEBINOVA, 1968, Vargatula BRENNAN & YUNKER, 1966, and Womersia WHARTON, 1947. Among these genera, Afropolonia is most similar to Straelensia in the form of the scutum and lacking subterminala, parasubterminala and microgenuala I, but differs in having the palpal tarsus 5BS (4BS for Straelensia), tibiala III present (absent in Straelensia), coxa II unisetose (bisetose in Straelensia) and lacking ventrolateral setae between coxae II and III (present in Straelensia). Afropolonia differs from Apolonia in having palpal tarsus 5BS (7BS in Apolonia), lacking subter minala I (present in Apolonia) and eyes free on cuticle (on ocular plate in Apolonia). Afropolina is similar to species of Vargatula in having palpal tarsus. 5BS, bt differs in having a nasus present (absent in Vargatula), coxa II unisetose (bisetose in Vargatula), and lacking both subterminala
... Womersia 4 M. LEE GOFF 55, 9 and microgenuala I (both present in Vargatula). Tibiala III is present in A. tgifi and Vargatula pacifica GOFF & LOOMIS, 1982, but is missing from Vargatula bispida BRENNAN & YUNKER, 1966, the other species in the genus Vargatula. Afropolonia may be separated from Womersia in having palpai tarsal formula 5BS (5B for Womersia), paired AM setae (single AM seta in Womersia), and lacking microgenuala I (present in Womersia). Afropolonia may be distinguished from the 2 genera in the tribe Sauracarellini, Sauracarella LAWRENCE, 1949, and Afracarella VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN & KOLEBINOVA, 1968, by having flagelliform sensillae (expanded sensillae in genera of Sauracarellini). In their treatment of the Apoloniinae, VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN & KOLEBINOVA included comments on Bernia marita ALLRED & BECK, 1966, which had been tentatively placed in the Apoloniinae by ALLRED & BECK (1966). Subsequently TANIGOSHI & LOOMIS (1969) noted that this species, represented by only the holotype, was actually an aberrant specimen of Hyponeocula arenicola (LOOMIS, 1954) and thus removed from the Apoloniinae. Key to the Genera Species of Apoloniinae 1. Sensillae expanded 2 Sensillae flagelliform 4 2. Palpal tarsus 6BS; 3 genualae I; coxa bisetose Afracarella africana (LAWRENCE, 1949) Palpal tarsus 7BS; 2 genualae I; coxa II unisetose 3 3. AM < PL; tarsala I < tarsala II Sauracarella whartoni LAWRENCE, 1949 AM > PL; tarsala I > tarsala II Sauracarella moritana LAWRENCE, 1949 4. Single AM seta 5 Paired AM setae 8 5. Palpal tarsus 5B; galeala N; microgenuala I present 6 Palpal tarsus 4BS; galeala B; microgenuala I absent 7 6. Tarsala II bluntly tapering; microgenuala II absent Womersia strandtmanni WHARTON, 1947. Tarsala II with bulbapex; microgenuala II present irani VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN, ROHDE & MESGHALI, 1970. 7. 32 setae in sternal région; galeala B Straelensia europaea VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN & KOLEBINOVA, 1968.
. Straelensia 55, 9 A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF APOLONIINAE 5 18 setae in sternal région; galeala N africana VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN, 1971. 8. Nasus present 9. Nasus absent 10. 9. Palpal tarsus 5BS; subterminala I absent.. Afropolonia tgifi, n. sp. Palpal tarsus 7BS; subterminala I present Apolonia tigipioensis TORRES 8c BRAGA, 1938. 10. Tibiala III present; coxa II unisetose; eyes 1/1 Vargatula pacifica GOFF Sc LOOMIS, 1982. Tibiala III absent; coxa II bisetose; eyes absent Vargatula hispida BRENNAN Sc YUNKER, 1966. LITERATURE CITED GOFF, M. L. Sc LOOMIS, R. B. 1982. Studies on Papua New Guinea chiggers (Acari : Trombiculidae). IX. A new species of Apoloniinae from the North Solomon Islands. J. Med. Entomol, 19 : 603-604. GOFF, M. L., LOOMIS, R. B., WELBOURN, W. C. & WRENN, W. J. 1982. A glossary of chigger terminology (Acari : Trombiculidae). ]. Med. Entomol., 19 : 221-238. TANIGOSHI, L. K. Sc LOOMIS, R. B. 1969. The generic and spécifie status of Bernia marita ALLRED and BECK (Acarina, Trombiculidae). Acarologia, 11 : 748-749. VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN, P. H. 1971. Straelensia africana (Acarina, Prostigmata), a new représentative of the Apoloniinae subfamily. Z. Angew. Zool., 58 : 99-103. VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN, P. H Sc KOLEBINOVA, M. 1968. Revision of the subfamily Apoloniinae WHARTON, 1947 (Lleuwenhoekiidae Acarina). Acarologia, 10 : 250-258. VERCAMMEN-GRANDJEAN, P. H., ROHDE, C. J. Jr. Sc MESGHALI, H. 1970. Twenty larval Trombiculidae (Acarina) from Iran. J. Parasitol., 56 : 773-806.